Pianist, Composer, Bandleader, Vocalist
“. . . the sound is all Swiggett’s: refined and confident, open and inviting.”
– All About Jazz
Pianist and composer Nelda Swiggett has been a vibrant force in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene since the early 1990s. Her compositions blend jazz with Afro-Cuban, gospel and classical influences, creating a distinctive and engaging sound. Swiggett’s ensembles, including her trio, quintet, and sextet, have graced stages at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Bumbershoot, and the Earshot Jazz Festival. She is an award-winning composer and OA2 recording artist. Her five album releases have received rave reviews and extensive airplay around the globe. Nelda’s big band arrangements of her original music have been performed by Seattle’s nationally recognized Garfield High School Jazz Band, the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, and others. Nelda currently co-leads Clif & Nelda’s Little Big Band with her trombonist husband, Clif Swiggett; composes for the Megabopolis sextet; and performs “For the Birds” — live music, images and poetry invite reflection on our changing climate — with the Nelda Swiggett Quintet. She is also in demand as a solo pianist, side woman and jazz educator.
featured Shows
Wednesday, September 16. Piano Starts Here at the Royal Room. Featuring the music of McCoy Tyner and Alice Coltrane. 5000 Rainier Avenue South, Columbia City. Doors: 6:30pm | Show: 7:30pm.
Buy Tickets: $20 advance | $25 doors
After purchasing tickets, please visit the Reservations page to book a table. Table reservations require advance tickets, and are only for guests who plan to dine at the Royal Room.
Through his tenure in the great John Coltrane Quartet, McCoy Tyner revolutionized the harmonic language of Jazz. Alice Coltrane took that revolution to the stratosphere in the next iteration of the Quartet.
Piano Starts Here highlights the work of some of the most prolific and talented composers and pianists to have ever tackled the instrument. Each of the performances brings together Seattle’s finest pianists to perform the works of the artist selected for that evening on the Royal Room’s Steinway B grand piano. This series is sponsored by KNKX and the South Hudson Music Project.
Tuesday, October 6. The Royal Room. Megabopolis. Featuring Nelda Swiggett (piano), Michael Van Beber (trumpet), Travis Ranney (tenor sax), Clif Swiggett (Trombone), Michael Glynn (bass), and Max Wood (drums). 5000 Rainier Avenue South, Columbia City. Doors: 6:30pm | Show: 7:30pm.
Buy Tickets: $20 advance | $25 doors
After purchasing tickets, please visit the Reservations page to book a table. Table reservations require advance tickets, and are only for guests who plan to dine at the Royal Room.
Well-crafted arrangements and tight ensemble work produce a rich “mini-big band” sound from this high-energy jazz sextet’s three-horn front line. Megabopolis features the unique, melodic originals of award-winning composer and OA2 recording artist Nelda Swiggett and showcases some of Seattle’s finest jazz musicians, passionate about their craft. Megabopolis has been featured at the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, Bellingham’s The Jazz Project concert series, Edmonds Jazz Walk, Seattle Jazz Vespers, Olympia Black Box concert series, and more.
current projects
media
“Swiggett has a unique touch…intensely appealing pianism…a voice with a depth similar to that of Abbey Lincoln…”
– Lofton A Emenari, WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago
“…a stunning project…held together by the highly original mind of Ms. Swiggett.”
– JazzTimes
“… a bright palette, a sinewy execution and a powerful, assertive command… the sound is all Swiggett’s: refined and confident, open and inviting.”
– All About Jazz
“Jessica Jennifer Williams comes to mind…we are in that territory.”
– Wondering Sound Reviews
“Swiggett’s vocal delivery is satisfyingly to-the-point, and behaves only as one ingredient, equal to all others…”
– Midwest Record
“Her music is precise without being dry, clean without being dull, and light without being fluff. The sound is as clear, direct and crisp as the gaze of her piercing blue eyes.”
– Earshot Magazine
“Seattle based pianist Nelda Swiggett has a bright smooth swinging quality to her mainstream approach and a minimalist almost bare knuckles attitude. Her key strokes are bold and assertive, as if she knows exactly the direction of her music.”
– All Music Guide
David Lange Studios
“The Alaska Suite”
“For the Birds”
teaching
Nelda teaches private jazz piano lessons in Seattle and on Zoom. She also coaches student jazz combos at Seattle’s Jazz Night School, and is available for clinics, workshops and adjudications.